Appearing on Radio 4’s Thought for the Day slot, [the Prince of Wales] spoke of “increasingly aggressive” attitudes towards refugees fleeing Islamic State, and asked listeners to remember that Jesus had once been forced to escape religious persecution.

Aides to the Prince were quick to stress that the strongly-worded address, which he is understood to have written himself, was not aimed at any particular politician or group. …

He said: “Normally at Christmas we think of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder though if this year we might remember how the story of the Nativity unfolds, with the fleeing of the Holy Family to escape violent persecution.

“And we might also remember that when the Prophet Mohammed migrated from Mecca to Medina he did so because he too was seeking the freedom for himself and his followers to worship.

“Whichever religious path we follow the destination is the same: to value and respect the other person; accepting their right to live out their peaceful response to the love of God.”